Lost in Translation
by fivexfive
Summary: Santana would settle for just getting her best friend back. But what she really wants...is so much more. Brittana.
1. A Little Shove

**Dislaimer: I do not own Glee or any of its characters.**

**LOST IN TRANSLATION**

"Ok class, repeat after me. Then write the translation on your paper. _El niño está jugando al fútbol_."

I roll my eyes as the class slowly repeats the statement. Looking around at the earnest faces, I catch Finn's confused look as he mouths what is most likely a bunch of gibberish. I quickly scrawl '_The boy plays football' _on my paper and go back to being bored.

"Good job guys. Ok, how about: _El profesor es muy inteligente_."

Again, the class drones out the phrase. This time, I look over and see Brittany proudly repeating the sentence. I smile, thinking about how the help I've been giving her after school seems to be paying off. She always looks so cute, walking up my doorstep with her Spanish book wrapped tightly in her arms. I don't think she knows it, but I usually peak out of my window until she gets to my house. I love watching her fidget with her skirt and fix her hair before she rings the doorbell.

My smile fades as I think about how much less time we've been spending together lately. Ever since she started dating Artie, I've seen her less and less. I honestly don't know how much more my heart can take.

"Santana!" a scolding voice breaks me away from my thoughts. I look up at the front of the classroom, and Holly Holliday, substitute teacher extraordinaire is looking at me. "Would you like to join the rest of the class"

I roll my eyes again, slap on my best bitch-face, and reply, "In case you haven't got a good look at me, I'm latina…like from Latin America. As in, I know my Spanish." This elicits a giggle from Brittany. Our eyes meet and I try to force the pain from them. I don't want her to know I'm hurting. My attention is brought back to the front of the room, where Holliday has just clucked her tongue, grinning at my blatant disrespect.

Holliday looks at me, meeting my gaze and returning it with a fiery smirk of her own. "That may be, Santana, but a little practice never hurts. I suggest you pay extra attention to this lesson. You might learn something."

I shoot her one last glare and slump in my chair. Fine, I'll participate to get the grade, but I sure as hell don't want to look like I give a damn.

"Class, are you ready to continue? Ok, _la chica es muy triste._"

"_La chica es muy triste_," I respond like a robot, then write '_The girl is very sad'_ on my paper.

"Ok next one," Holliday glances around the room, stopping her gaze at Brittany. "_La chica es una bailarina_."

My heartstrings are pulled a little bit as visions of Brittany dancing burst quickly into my mind. I respond with the rest of the class, then write '_The girl is a dancer'_. Brittany strutting across the choir room, dancing to a song enters my head again. I suppress the pain once more.

Holliday claps a little excitedly and rubs her hands together, thinking of her next phrase. "Ok guys, let's do one more, then turn your papers in. After this I'll pair you guys up and you'll tell each other about what you did over the weekend."

I picked up my pencil, ready to get this inane exercise over with. I snuck another glance at Brittany, who looked just as adorable as she did a minute ago, poised eagerly for the next sentence.

Holliday started back up. "Alright, last one. _La chica está enamorada de la otra chica_."

The tip of my pencil snapped under the pressure I was suddenly exerting on it. I couldn't have just heard her say that. I mean…did she really?

The class repeated the last phrase. "_La chica está enamorada de la otra chica_".

Ok, so I guess that really was what she said. The rest of the class stares ahead blankly and I vacantly wonder if they even know what they just said. I rummage in my Cheerios duffel bag, looking for another writing utensil. My hand grabbed the first pen it felt and I almost bit back a groan when I realized the pen I pulled out was Brittany's koosh pen. No matter what I do I can't shake her.

I wrote the last sentence on my paper: _The girl is in love with the other girl_.

If I didn't know any better, I'd say that Holliday is up to something. A sneaking suspicion enters my head as I think of her plotting to get Brittany and I together. Not that that would ever happen. Not now…

And besides, it's not like she could even know. I've been nothing but discrete in my pining over Brittany since the barf-fest known as Artie and Brittany began. At least I'm pretty sure I had been…

"Santana and Brittany," Holliday calls out, and my train of thought crashes quickly to a stop. Is she calling us out? Is she fixing us up? She opens her mouth again. "Quinn and Rachel. Puck and Finn."

My heart calms down as I realize that she's just calling us out to pair up for the next exercise.

I grab up my school stuff and walk, flustered, over to where Brittany is sitting. Her face lights up as I plop unceremoniously next to her.

"Hey San," she says with a smile on her face. It's hard not to smile back at her. She has a way of lighting up my heart until my happiness reaches my face.

Before I even know what I'm doing or saying, I'm reaching under our desks and grabbing Brittany's hand, our pinkies linking in a motion so fluid, it would be impossible to tell we hadn't done so in over a month.

"I miss you, B," I say, a sad smile reaching the corners of my mouth. A frown creeps across her face.

"I know…it's just, well, Artie has been really demanding of my time and then there's dance practice and my mom has been teaching me how to cook." I grin thinking about Brittany's mom. She reminded me so much of Phoebe from _Friends_ it was insane. It was easy to see where Brittany got her dead pan humor and free spirit from.

I squeeze her hand reassuringly. "It's ok, you don't have to excuse it. I just wish we could see each other again, you know? Like old times."

I didn't realize how upset I was about everything. _The girl is in love with the other girl_. That stupid phrase popped into my head again, and I had to choke back the thought that Holliday was talking about us. It's not like it isn't true...

My eyes filled with water as I thought about how much I cared about my fellow Cheerio. I looked around the room, hoping that Brittany wouldn't notice. Quinn and Rachel were talking in thick Spanish accents, putting their fingers over their upper lips to imitate a Spanish mustache. It was annoyingly and sickeningly cute how close those two had gotten since Quinn became an independent woman and the two stopped fighting over Finn.

Finn and Puck were slaughtering the Spanish language, trying to talk about football and girls and probably boobs and sex, but failing miserably. I'm pretty sure I heard Finn say, in incredibly broken Spanish, something that roughly translated to, "The house steaks are singing" at one point, to which Puck shook his head like he understood and responded with "Flowers are exploding at art exhibits".

I tried to change the subject, not wanting to upset Brittany anymore. "I can see that my Spanish lessons are working."

Brittany bobbed her head up and down. She smirked at me. "Learning from the best will make you at least second best."

I stifled a snort of laughter as I remembered the first time that was said in our relationship. Britt and I had just slept together for the first time and she may have had to steer me around her, uh…curves. Not that I would ever tell anyone that. Santana Lopez, learning the tricks of the trade from someone else? I think not.

God, how I missed her.

"Do you want to hang out tonight?" Brittany suddenly asked me. "I miss you too, Sanny. Artie is really starting to annoy me. He always treats me like a child." She pauses, contemplating briefly. "You never do that."

"Of course I don't. I don't see any reason to."

She smiles at me. "I mean c'mon. I swear, one of these days he's going to give me some object he finds on the ground, say it has magic properties, and try to pass it off as some declaration of how much he cares about me."

We both laugh at the both the insanity of her statement and the fact that it could potentially happen. After a few seconds, our laughter dies down and we are met with silence. Thankfully, before things could get awkward, the bell rings, signaling the end of the day.

Holliday claps her hands to get our attention. "Ok, class," she addresses us. "Mr. Schuester will probably be out tomorrow as well, so I'll see you in the afternoon." The class begins to file out of the room, excited that the school day is over. "Santana?" Holliday calls me over. I look up at her and she beckons for me to come see her.

I turn back to Brittany. "See you in Glee?" I ask.

She nods excitedly. "See you in a bit, San!" She bounces off out the door and down the hall. I watch her until she's out of sight as I gather my things. Once I have my stuff, I walk to the front of the classroom and meet Holliday.

She looks at me and bites her lip. "I'm sorry for calling you out in front of the class earlier. You weren't the only one not participating."

I feel a little uneasy. I never know what to do when people apologize to me. I shift on my feet, thinking about how to respond. Finally, I decide to put up the white flag and offer a hand in peace.

"I'm sorry for talking back to you." I could barely believe that I was saying that. It felt so out of character for me. But there was just something about Holliday that made me want to be in her good graces.

"It's ok Santana. I understand that you're going through a lot right now," she responds. I look at her inquisitively, not knowing what she is referring to. Luckily, she clarifies a moment later. "What with school and Glee. Not to mention Cheerios."

"Oh yeah, that. No biggie." I respond, trying to act nonchalant about it. "Speaking of which, I gotta go. Glee practice is starting soon."

"Yeah, tell the other guys I'll be in soon. I just have to pack up things here."

"Sure thing _Profe_ Holliday." I turn and start toward the door.

"Thanks. I appreciate it," she says. I begin walking away. "Oh and Santana?" I swivel around and face her again.

"Yeah?" I respond.

She smiles at me.

"Just tell her."

My face flushed red and I ran out of that class as if someone had lit fire to my weave.

**A/N: Let me know if it's worth continuing! Hope you enjoyed it :]**


	2. Simplicity

**Chapter 2 – Simplicity**

I learned a long time ago that I had a gift. Not only was I a natural born bitch, but I was also a capital liar. Growing up across town, in a neighborhood that would have had most people ducking for cover, you have to learn how to defend yourself. I found that setting yourself up so you don't even need a defense in the first place suited me much better.

The first line of a solid pre-defense consists of telling people a lot of things that aren't true. I tell people that my dad is a wealthy doctor. I figured, if people thought that, no one will ever make Santana Lopez a charity case, because the last thing I need is to **actually feel** like that girl that grew up in Lima's version of the projects.

I tell people whatever I think will keep them at a distance. I didn't even realize I was doing this until Brittany made me realize it, at the ripe age of eight. I don't think I've ever seen Brittany try harder at anything than she did when we were in elementary school and she was trying to gain my friendship. I must have pushed her off the monkey bars at least six times before I finally relented and let her in.

I tell people I don't care. Brittany and I know that's not the case. We know that I do care about those stupid Glee kids more than I do my reputation.

I tell lies all the time. Most of the time it's only Brittany that knows the truth. She always sees through my thick haze of fabricated bull shit. But the one lie I told that mattered the most, she believed.

I told Brittany I didn't love her.

That lie is the worst lie that I ever told. It haunts me endlessly when I'm lying awake at night, thinking about her and Artie. Thinking about the way she continues to cling to him like he's the last living soul in Lima. The last one that could make her happy.

I should have told her.

I was five minutes late to Glee. After Stick-Your-Nose-Where-It-Don't-Belong Holliday called me out on my lack of a Brittany filled love life, I needed to compose myself. Truth was, between the stupid Spanish phrases and actually talking to Brittany, a cold splash of water on the face was the perfect remedy. I bent over the sink in the bathroom and let the water run for a moment before dipping my hands underneath its gentle stream and cupping the water before bringing it up to my face. The water dripped from my lashes, the sight causing me to visibly shudder. It brought me back to last summer, when Britt and I were in her pool in the backyard.

_"San! Stop splashing you'll mess up my hair!" Brittany giggled and held her hands up in a weak defense against the water headed her way. She was lounging on a chair in her bathing suit, and I was jumping off her diving board, trying to get her wet. I climbed out of the pool and walked over to her, dripping water the whole way_.

_"Really, B? I thought you loved the water, what with being The Little Mermaid and all."_

_Her eyebrows furrowed into a makeshift glare. "Are you ever going to let that go?" she asked, clearly exasperated and referring to the time I caught her dancing in her room to the Disney Little Mermaid soundtrack._

_She glared at me, huffing slightly as I grinned at her._

_I must have taken my annoying pill that morning, because I was soon shaking my hair onto her body, the drops of water clinging to her skin. She squealed and giggled more, a sound that never grew old to my ears. I dropped to me knees next to her chair, grabbed her hand, and gave her the best puppy dog look I could muster._

"_Pwease come in with me Britt?" I pleaded, my lower lip jutting out for effect. She rolled her eyes, and stood up, she never could say no to me._

_We ran over to the pool, hand in hand and jumped in. I opened my eyes under water and saw her blurry outline, and I couldn't help but think that she was a beautiful blur indeed. I surfaced first, and Britt's head broke the top of the water seconds after, water streaming down her body. _

_My mouth was hanging open, taking in her stunning beauty, and before I knew it, it was filled with chlorinated water. Brittany chuckled and continued to barrage me with splashes, and soon I was splashing her back. And there we were, two high school students in the middle of splash fight like small children._

_After a good few minutes of water wars, we stopped. Our breathing was heavy from out exertion, and our faces were inches apart. I stared into her eyes, their color matching the pure blue of a Hawaiian ocean, her fairy-tale blonde hair plastered to her head. I quickly closed the gap between us._

_Our lips met, wanting, needing. My hand was wrapped around the back of her head, and her arm had snaked around my back, pulling me close to her. Her tongue sneaked into my mouth, and I caressed it with my own. Her mouth was hot and inviting, contrasting with the slightly chill water, and all I could think about was her wet body pressed into mine. _

_I was standing on the tips of my toes, our height difference making its presence known. Britt, sensing my discomfort, wrapped her hand around my butt and pulled me close to her. My legs curled around her body, the bare flesh touching in the depths of the water. An odd floating sensation overcame me, and I let myself get lost in her kisses._

_We stayed like that for a while longer, only breaking when air was becoming an issue. I reached up and pushed Brittany's semi-dry hair away from her face and behind her ear._

"_You're beautiful, you know that?" I said quietly to her._

_She grinned, clearly pleased with the compliment and extended her hand to cup my cheek. "I'm yours, you know that?" She responded, and I swear my heart skipped a beat._

_Our foreheads came together, and Brittany opened her mouth one more time. "Never forget that."_

I snapped myself out of my reverie, took a deep breath and turned to leave the bathroom and finally head to Glee club. My shoes clicked on the floor as I walked briskly to the choir room.

As soon as I walked in, I had to fight the urge to cry. Artie was tucking a piece of hair behind Brittany's ear, and Brittany was smiling coyly up at him. I couldn't stop staring at them. I shut my eyes, sending a silent prayer to someone up above that when I opened them, Artie would be far away from her. But as soon as my eyes cracked open, and Artie was still sitting there, hand linked with Brittany's, I knew that I was going to have fight back the tears for the rest of the practice.

Luckily, Holly Holliday decided to walk in right at that moment. All attention turned to her, the Glee club members remembering the fun we all had last time she subbed for Mr. Schuester.

Holliday walked up to the board and wrote a single word on it.

"Simplicity," she stated, a grin on her face. "Show choir is normally all about that, putting on a show. But this week, I want you guys to think about how to put on a show without glitz, without costumes and props. By the end of this week, I want you all to have come up with a piece that involves only yourself singing and either playing the piano or guitar. If you can't play either, then go ahead and enlist one of your fellow members to do so. Any questions?"

Everyone gave a short cheer, clearly pleased with the assignment selection.

"Just so everyone knows," Puck began, an arrogant grin on his face, "I plan on killing this thing. The Mighty Puckaroni is all about the acoustic guitar-gasm." He reached over and high-fived Finn.

I rolled my eyes, trying to swallow the fact that we used to have sex.

Holliday clapped to get the attention back up front.

"Ok then," she announced. "You guys have the rest of the day off to begin preparing your songs. Santana? You're up first. Have your song ready by tomorrow."

**A/N: Please let me know what you think! I don't think people realize how much encouragement helps :]**


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